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Thanks to the Friends of the Bandon Library

Drove to Bandon to talk about my novel Spy on Clinton Street for Author Night at the lovely Bandon Library. Thanks to Megan and Maureen for publicity, prep and clean up to make my visit lively and enjoyable. Thanks to Darwin and Marilyn for their gracious hospitality. We wore leis for fun and some folks returned them, so I could use them to celebrate again. I had fun, nobody fell asleep, and there were cookies. Perfect.

Recent memorable reading: Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee. Set in South Africa, the novel is the story of David Lurie, a divorced college professor who becomes sexually involved with a student, loses his job, and moves to the countryside to stay with his daughter on her farm. David’s experiences there change him profoundly and for the better. The novel highlights many types of disgrace, including the disgrace of death. It’s not always an easy read, but that’s probably true for those works which have the biggest impact on us. Disgrace won the Booker Prize, Britain’s top literary award, and Coetzee was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2003. I first read Disgrace a few years ago. It’s well worth a second reading. This work expands our understanding of the human psyche. Thank you, J.M. Coetzee.